Last week, we thought we have the Potato Fool’s ARG stitched up – play indie games, contribute to the possibility of an early release of Portal 2. But wait – there’s more. And it’s Half-Life flavoured.

Rumours that Portal 2 will be released ahead of schedule have gained extra weight. The Aperture Science website has been updated with a mysterious countdown, ticking over the seconds until 9am Friday morning (PDT).

Valve’s delays are nearly as legendary as the games that suffered them, so you’d be forgiven for spit-taking at the idea that the developer might be letting the pendulum swing the other way. A number of emails purportedly sent by Gabe Newell, however, seem to suggest just that.